Best of Florida Schools 2005
Web-Only Categories—Page 7

Best Poetry Hour
Uncouth and Unexpected
Maybe you’ve seen some hoity-toity socialite turn up their nose and exclaim, “That’s so uncouth!” If you have, you probably realize that most people consider the word “uncouth” as something of an insult—but not at Stetson University. There, they revel in the freedom of speech as students rant, recite, and re-enact their favorite literature every Thursday at 9 p.m. during “Poetry at an Uncouth Hour.”

In spring 1991, two students from a poetry class yearned for an outlet to express their creativity. So, they teamed up with their English professor, Dr. Terri Witek, director of the Sullivan Creative Writing Program at Stetson and also advisor to the literary magazine Touchstone. “They really just wanted to read their own work and have a forum for other people to read theirs,” she says.

For the first decade or so, the poetry circle of about 20 to 30 students was held outside on the grass. Lit by flickering candlelight, students took turns reading original short stories, poems, and plays. Others read aloud works by some of their favorite writers. To spice things up, some nights had special themes to guide the readings, such as “Laugh Night,” “Mystery Guest Night,” and “Sorrows in Love.”

“It’s one of those things that feels a little different year to year,” Witek says.

However, Stetson’s anti-pesticide policy eventually became a problem as mosquitoes invaded the circle. Although the poetry hour now takes place inside the faculty lounge, the ever-present candles still create the same enchanting ambience. In fact, Witek remembers some of the readings as “transcendental moments that are hard to describe.”

“Maybe someone will start reading Proust in French out loud,” she says. “Occasionally, there will be international students who come in and read in their languages with somebody translating.”

That isn’t to say that all the performances are exactly stellar. But, Witek remains confident that the spontaneous nature of the circle is what truly makes it unique.

“Sometimes it does fall on its face, like three people awkwardly reading bad stuff,” she says. “It’s sort of vaguely liberating and vaguely awkward—a teasing, sly sort of evening. Everybody loves it.” –CG

Contact Witek at twitek@stetson.edu.

Most Heart-Warming Major
All in the Family
It’s obvious that more and more Americans are becoming wary of big business when Wal-Mart is considered a cancer and Disney is dubbed the devil. But instead of just complaining about corporate takeovers and damning the man under their breath, students and faculty at Stetson University are actively trying to stem the conglomerate tide.

In 1998, a survey revealing that more than one-third of Stetson students’ families own businesses prompted the creation of the Family Business Center, which offers both majors and minors in family business. Under the guidance of professor Dr. Greg McCann, the program aims to legitimize family business as an academic field.

“We found that the biggest questions college students whose families own businesses ask are, if, when, why, and how to be involved with their family business,” says Jill Shipley, FBC assistant director.

The program, which is the first of its kind in the nation, seeks to train students in three specific areas: enhanced self-awareness, understanding family issues, and comprehension of business issues. The first component helps students “develop the ability to apply course materials to themselves, their family, and their family business,” according to the course syllabus. The second area helps students recognize the dynamics of typical family systems and guides students in drawing the line between business and family issues. Finally, the section on comprehending business issues takes fundamental business strategies and applies them to a family business.

The student response has been overwhelmingly positive, Shipley says. Many believe that the major helped them learn more about themselves and the “real world” of business at the same time. Though the program is heart-warming in many respects, it also has the no-nonsense approach that’s essential in the business world.

“Family business—do it right or don’t do it,” Shipley says. “Too much is at risk.” –CG

Contact Shipley at jshipley@stetson.edu.

Best Talent Show
International Flavor
Traditionally, schools only crown a king and a queen once a year. At the University of Miami, they took that old idea and added some spice to kick off an entire week of international flavor with a talented reigning couple.

Each year, UM hosts International Week, an event celebrating the diversity of different cultures. The week-long event starts early in the year with the crowning of Mr. and Ms. International. But attaining the title is no easy feat.

The Council of International Students and Organizations hosts the show where members of their group, the United Black Students and the Federaccion de Estudiantes Cubanos, participated this year. Each contestant competed in four different areas: costume, performance, question and answer, and poise. While the competitors strutted their stuff for more than 100 students, four student life administrators sat back and watched, judging the contestants’ every move. “It provides a forum for cultural talent to be displayed,” says Minal Ahson, former COISO president.

At the end of the night, a king and queen are crowned to reign over International Week as good-will ambassadors. The royal couple welcome students at opening ceremonies, attend all events, and are a presence throughout the week.

This year, the theme for the week was “Seven Wonders of the World,” focusing on monuments, buildings, and natural features from a different region each day. Student organizations from their respective regions display clothes, artifacts, and give presentations and performances.

“The entire week is very educational and increases cultural awareness,” Ahson says. “People can gain insight into different cultures and appreciate how diverse our university is.” —MM

Contact Ahson at mahson@miami.edu.

Best Awareness Event
UM Hungry to Help
Four hundred forty University of Miami students starved themselves in October. For one day, they had no food, no drink—not even gum—from dawn until dusk.

The students went hungry for the hungry. For the third year in a row, they sacrificed their fast food and Ramen noodles so that they could learn more about the Islamic religion and the homeless could eat a few more meals. Organized by the Islamic Society of UM, the event was based on two of the five pillars of Islam: fasting and charity. “The goal of the event is to create awareness about hunger in Miami and the significance of fasting in the Islamic faith,” says Minal Ahson, former president of ISUM.

 Local families chipped in, donating money for each person who participated. The funds went to a neighborhood charity, the Daily Bread Food Bank, which provides food for many of the local soup kitchens and homeless shelters in Miami. There, each dollar provides six meals for Miami’s hungry.

At the end of the day, participants achieved their goal, raising $2,100 and providing a meal for 12,600 people. “Students usually feel great about doing something beneficial for those less fortunate,” Ahson says. “Many of them also gain an understanding of the self-control it takes to fast and the significance of this process to Muslims.” —MM

Contact Ahson at mahson@miami.edu.

Best Labyrinth
Walk This Way
It’s 7:00 a.m. You hit the snooze button…three times. It’s difficult to roll out of bed after a late night of studying or hanging out with friends, but students at Warner Southern College have discovered a spiritual way to wake up—one that they say is even more effective than a strong cup of joe.

“I have trouble waking up in the morning, kneeling by my bed and praying, because most of the time I’m snoring and falling back to sleep,” says Mike Sanders, associate professor and campus pastor. “Therefore, I have a prayer walk each morning in my neighborhood.”

One of the most famous tools for prayer walk is the labyrinth, an intricate design on which people can walk to clear their minds and pray. “A labyrinth is not a maze,” Sanders says. “There are no dead ends. There’s one way in and the same way out. It’s a metaphor for a journey.”

Students in Sanders’ Spiritual Practices on Prayer class visited the labyrinth at the San Pedro Center in Winter Park, which is a replica of the labyrinth in the Chartes Cathedral in France. Students walked the labyrinth in silent contemplation. “Because this was something new to all of them, I think their first reaction was skepticism, not sure what to think about this thing,” Sanders says.

But after walking the labyrinth for the first time, students were buzzing about their powerful prayer sessions. “One young lady said ‘I have a hard time praying for 10 minutes in the mornings, but I just spent an hour in prayer as I walked the labyrinth,’” Sanders says. “Others spoke of the twisting and turning and how that relates to their own experience of growth and struggle in their own spiritual lives.”

The trip to the San Pedro Center had such an impact on students that they decided to create their own labyrinth on campus. Using a “seven circuit design,” one less complicated than the labyrinth in the Chartes Cathedral, Sanders’ classes laid out their labyrinth between the student center and the library.

Since many of his students are church ministry majors, Sanders says the labyrinth helps them learn how to teach others the practice of prayer. “We’re taught in our education classes that there are kinesthetic learners who learn from movement and activity,” Sanders says. “Therefore, the labyrinth is probably very appealing to those kinds of learners.”

Giving back to the community is important to Warner Southern, and Sanders and his students hope Lake Wales residents will use the labyrinth for a wake-up call of their own. “A friend of mine in the community who walks by our campus told me the other day that on his morning walks, he’s been walking our labyrinth,” Sanders says. –LD

Contact Sanders at sandersm@warner.edu.

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